Method of purifying hydrocarbon oils



Patented May 3,1927.

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

.uccu'n c; -MOB'.RELL. Ann sALM'EN COMAY,

muvnasar. on. raonuc'rs COMPANY, sou'rn DAKOTA.

OF CHICAGO, ILLINOIS, ASSIGII'ORB IO OF CHICAGO, ILLINOIS, A CORPORATION01' METHOD or rumrrme nrnaocaanon OILS.

No Drawing.

eterious compounds which cause the oil to- 1 go 0111' color on standing.

These objection able compounds are present in the oil and unlessremoved, will. produce a; product having an obnoxious odor and one whichwill show a positive doctor test, that is, will be sour when subjectedto the doctor test.

, The copper hypochlorite may itself be utilized as the sole refiningagent, necessary with some types of oil. With other types of oil, thecopper hypochlorite may be substituted for the usual plumbitetreatmerit, said plumbite being litharge dissolved in caustic soda. Thecopper hypochlorite is adapted tobe used as a refining] 7 agent, eitheralone or. as a step in combinaftion with the usual sulphuric acid andcaustic soda treatment, and perhaps asfan adjunct to the plumbite,treatment.

One. method of using the copper hypochlorite may be illustrated -.asfollows: The oil may be subjected to reaction first with -.-the copperduced according to the following -o-c1 CtlSOl plus Ca formula:

Cu plus CaSO4 4o Sodium hypo'chlorite may also be used instead of thecalcium salt as a starting agent. Common salt or sodiumychloride may be.used to maintain the copper hypochlorite in solution. An excess-ofsodium chloride isdesirable. 1

We have described above one formula which may be used to, produce the :0per hypochlorite, but'it is understood that t ere are many other methodsof producing this refining agent, and the sole purpose of theillustrative" formula 'hasibeen to give one method.

Application aim June 22, 1925.

hypochlorite which may be pro-.

As .pointed out heretofore, the copper Serial No. 88,924.

be used as the sole resome types of oil which hypochlorite' may finingagent wit do not require further refining. stance, benzine distillatesand gasoline from straight .run crudes, that is crude oil or heavy oilswhich have. not been subjected to the cracking process. The crude oilsan other heavy oils themselves may also b subjected to treatment withcopper hypochlorite to remove certain types of sulphur compounds, siichas mercaptans, hydrogen For insulphideand various sulphides with this.

solution.

The oil which has been subjected to treat- 'ment with the copperhypochlorite, be water washed to remove any traces of the reagent,although this is not necessary. The oil may then be" subjected to theusual sulphuric acid treatment followed by treatmay then 76 ment withcaustic soda and may later be distilled preferably in the presence ofsteam. The order of treatment which has been found preferable to usewith cracked h drocarbon distillates is as above set orth, namelysuccessive treatments with copper hypochlorite, sulphuric acid, causticsoda, intervening water washes, and final distillation preferably in thepresence of steam. It maybe found desirable to treat the overheadproduct of the steam dilute caustic soda;

The succession of treating steps above described, may sults desired, andthe type of oil ed. Applicants claim no invention in the use ofsulphuric acid, caustic soda or the distillation with steam, norsuccession with which these refining agents are introduced into the oil,the novel feature of this invention residing in the use of cop-.

ochlorite for refining oila.

0 illustrate the difference between the in the order or distillationwith ioc e are aware that it isoldto subject oil-to re-- action withcalcium hypochloriteor sodium action ofcalcium and sodium hypochloritesacid used. used in the the undesira it is polnted out that compounds areremoved as pounds .when using cuprous hypochlorite. However, thehypochlorite radical may by itself produce as beneficial results as whenle sulphur used in the. forms cited above.-

From an economical standpoint, in addition to the advantageous effectsupon the oil when using copper-hypochlorite, it has been found that itresults in a saving of 'The amount of sulphuric acid standard methods oftreatment has .been reduced with v from thirtyto sixty percent. Themarkedreduction in the'sulp in content of the finished oil is alsonoticeable.

coppev comsome types of oi'l,f

warms We claim as our invention-z .1.-A "method of purifying hydrocarbonoils, comprising subjecting the oil to reactioxrwith copperhypo'chlorite in solution.

.2. A step in a method of 'purifying hydrocarbon oils, comprisingsubjectin the. oil to reaction move objectionable compounds present insaid oil. 1

3. A- method of purifying hydrocarbon with copper hypochlorite to reoils, comprising separately subjecting the oil to reaction withsulphuric acid, caustic soda, copper h'ypochlorite and distillation inthe presenceof steam to remove objectionable compounds from the oil andproduce a commercial product: I JACQUE C. MQRRELL.

SALMEN COMAY."

